Monacan tribal members embrace their culture

LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) – The next chapter beckons in the storied history of the Monacan Indian Nation, as its longtime chief, Kenneth Branham, has decided to step aside and as the members embrace their culture anew after the death of their spiritual adviser a year ago.

Several things have happened in the past year that have astonished the tribal elders, who rue the racism they endured over generations and, to a degree, still experience.

Older members were stunned when Amherst County officials invited the tribe's children to dance at the county's 250th anniversary celebration Saturday, some being reduced to tears.

“Thirty years ago, we never would have imagined that Amherst County would have included us in anything,” tribal council member Sharon Bryant said.

The elders are saying to themselves, “Finally, after all these years, they are recognizing us as Indians,” said another member, Luci Curry.

Tribal members have been invited by several United Methodist Church congregations in Lynchburg to stage a cultural awareness day in September, Bryant said.

Last year, Bryant helped facilitate a presentation at Amherst Elementary School, where a Monacan child attends, to teach other children about their heritage. And, the Amherst County Public Schools' Diversity Committee met at the tribal grounds on Bear Mountain.

Now, something fascinating has happened since the passing of their assistant chief and spiritual adviser, George Branham Whitewolf, in June: His dream has come true, in that members young and older have taken up his challenge to revel in their heritage and to turn their backs on racism.

“Things have mushroomed and grown in a way George dreamed,” Bryant said. He focused his life on educating children, eschewing a higher leadership role. Monacan children were hit particularly hard when he died.

His lessons have endured, but still, the legacy of generations of racism still exists. The tribe was legislated out of existence in the 1920s and is one of six tribes statewide seeking federal recognition, so that they can obtain federal benefits that other tribes nationwide have received for education - housing, among other things.

Without birth certificates identifying them as Native people, they have been unable to qualify. Tribal identities were eliminated by the state's Racial Integrity Act, which was in effect from 1924 to 1967.

The racial identifications of Native Americans in Virginia, who had no white ancestry, were changed to “colored” on birth certificates, which prevented the Monacans and others from obtaining the same federal assistance as other tribes nationwide.

Virginia recognized the tribes in 1983.

But racism still continues, said tribal member, Pam Talbot.

Recently, some members had a bake sale at Walmart in Madison Heights, and a woman approached to ask who would benefit from the sale.

“When she found out who it was for, she said, `I would never buy anything from a Monacan,”' Talbot quoted the woman as telling her.

In years past, young people had to be prepared before entering public schools, as opposed to their tiny schoolhouse on Bear Mountain.

“Young people had to be taught what to expect,” such as name-calling and bullying, Bryant said, repeating a familiar refrain of advice to them: “You can't climb a ladder to be above me.”

Young people still endure harsh reminders, as their elders did.

“They must end relationships when parents find out who they are,” Curry said.

“It's more random now, it's not as structured,” said Bryant, who recalled that she related to a teacher that she wanted to be a singer or even a tribal chief. “She told me my dreams were too high,” Bryant recalled.

Until George Branham Whitewolf helped establish the annual Monacan Powwow in 1992, the Monacans were discouraged from publicly relating who they are, despite a history at Bear Mountain dating back 10,000 years. That has changed to a major degree.

“Kids don't suffer as much now, they can prove where they're from, and their culture,” because of training from older members, said Bryant. “They have a confidence of identity.”

At Saturday morning culture classes, more than two dozen children typically attend, along with about a dozen adults. Young people are dreaming bigger, having realized that if they don't preserve their culture and language, they will lose it.

“I think if you don't remember the way things have been ... you open the door to it happening again,” Bryant said.

Many members left Amherst County over the generations to find a better standard of living because the expectation was that life would be better elsewhere, said Curry, who moved to Amherst County from Maryland. Her father attended the tiny schoolhouse at Bear Mountain, which now is a designated historic structure.

What the present leaders are finding is that this new generation bonds together.

“This council hall, and this sacred mountain, is their home,” and they are not conflicted about where they come from before they came to be back in their ancestral home, Curry said.

“You never lose your identity, you know this is where you belong,” which bridges what can be an intractable reality among young people from various backgrounds.

They still are Monacan, and that's what bonds them, Curry said.

“The pride they have, it's just an awesome feeling,” Talbot said.

Older members always had Monacan pride.

“They were not ashamed, but secretive,” Bryant said. “Well, that's not so today.”

The Monacans' annual powwow in Elon will be May 21-22, a weekend cultural festival featuring food, native music and dancing, storytelling and vendors.